One of the first modernist public schools in the state, the school with its simple, rectilinear forms was planned by Deitrick as part of a publicly funded ensemble for black citizens, which included Chavis Park (1937) and Chavis Heights Public Housing (1939-1941). The Raleigh Times of December 31, 1938, lauded its design as "the most modern and up-to-date elementary school in North Carolina."